How often do you switch between rigs?

W

WestCoast

New Member
During the season, does anyone regularly switch rigs from Full -> Radial, Radial -> 4.7 or go the other way?

I need to race a radial if I'm going to travel more, yet locally, a full rig is nice because of our mostly moderate breeze.

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Anyone here switch back and forth throughout the season, or stick with one or the other for most races?
 
I switch to a Radial when it's very windy, even for practice. I usually sail Standard, but may start using the Radial more with regattas. Thing is, there's not that many Radial sailors around here. I'd have to lose a few pounds too. :(

Merrily

WestCoast said:
During the season, does anyone regularly switch rigs from Full -> Radial, Radial -> 4.7 or go the other way?

I need to race a radial if I'm going to travel more, yet locally, a full rig is nice because of our mostly moderate breeze.

----
Anyone here switch back and forth throughout the season, or stick with one or the other for most races?
Click to expand...
 
Hi,
as a non-pro, I switch very often between Radial and Standard. I need the Radial, to train in windy conditions to make the 'wild horse' a bit more friendly to me. :)
If I did learnt my lessons with the Radial, I switch to the standard and try to keep up the training again. At sailing-days, I allways have both rigs in my car. This way of training helped me really a lot last season to reach a better level of sailing the Laser. This not means, that I not got much flying into the water, but less than with the Standard only, like in in 2004.

Also, the Radial has its own racing circuit, here where I live. I plan to join the Standard series and the Radial series. Some of my friends do sail only Radial and otheres sail only Standard. I want to meet both groups. So I sail both rigs in future.

In the moment I only have the old-fashioned Radial-rig (that with that halyard-design) that is not allowed for official races. But, with a bit luck, in summer I will own also a new Radial rig :)

Ciao
LooserLu
 
locally i sail a full rig and do quiet well averaging a top 3 finish more or less every race, against guys who have a better weight for the boat and more years in the boat. i weigh around 10 1/2 to 11 stone. but still manage top do well in strong breeze by working the rig as appose to brute force and 150% hiking.i suppose i'd need to move down to the radial for traveling around more. but this year i'm gonna start to travel and stay in the full rig


So in answer to the question "During the season, does anyone regularly switch rigs from Full -> Radial, Radial -> 4.7 or go the other way?"

last season i only sailed locally and sailed the first half of the season in the radial and the 2nd half in the ful rig.
 
Are you all serious that you switch rigs. The only way it is possible to get better in the windy stuff is to go out in it. I only wiegh 175Lbs. and with practice (mid season) i can sail my full rig as fast as the fat guys.
I cant belive that you all switch rigs at all!
 
Last year I generally sailed radials, but sometimes I trained in full rigs. I found it pretty good to master the waves and wind in 25 kt in a full rig, and then go into a heavy-air radial regatta. That way I was in full control of the boat downwind. Upwind I could also last longer.
 
OliLaser said:
Are you all serious that you switch rigs. The only way it is possible to get better in the windy stuff is to go out in it. I only wiegh 175Lbs. and with practice (mid season) i can sail my full rig as fast as the fat guys.
I cant belive that you all switch rigs at all!
Click to expand...

If some of us were "only" 175lkb/79 kg, which is heavier than the top full rig Olympians, we'd sail big rig quite happily too!

That said, I don't switch between rigs in a series; it seems only fair to cop it sweet when the conditions don't suit my rig. And perhaps whether you are a heavy Radial sailor or a lightweight in a big rig, it seems that the conditions that DON'T suit your rig are the ones you really need to practise in as much as possible.
 
I have recently begun experimenting with a Radial after sailing the full rig on and off since the 70's. At 65kgs and under 6ft the Radial seems to give potential for higher VMG upwind, particularly in waves, but at present I loose so much of my former performance downwind that I am not sure overall which way to focus.

There are obviously subtle differences in handling of the Radial compared to the standard rig, particularly for someone 'stuck in the middle' of the ideal weight range but with only moderate height for hiking distance. Age and fitness is also a factor because while the mind is willing the body doesn't react or endure as it once did.

Recently sailed the Radial against an other experienced Radial campaigner in Gusty lake conditions intermittently above my design wind. Had good initial speed off the line, but started to wonder if the radial was actually easier or not and had difficulty finding suitable feel to sustain speed in the lulls.

Have seen some articles comparing technique for the standard and radial pilot but interested in experience and any adjustements in thinking and technique required by any sailors that have 'regressed/advanced' to the Radial to stay competitive as masters or grand masters.

cheers

GL
 
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